ESPN to air Overwatch League finals as esports go prime-time

Walt Disney Co. will air the playoffs and finals of the Overwatch League on ESPN and other networks under a multiyear deal with Activision Blizzard that underscores the growing popularity of professional video-game competition.

Live coverage starts Wednesday with the playoffs on the Disney XD channel. ESPN will show the finals live starting July 27 at 7 p.m. New York time, with a second day planned on Disney XD and ESPN3. The championship will be broadcast from the Barclays Center in New York, where both days are sold out.

The Overwatch title came out in 2016 and its popularity led to the creation of a professional league, with players vying in a cartoonish shooting game to control points on a map. Activision sold 12 city-based franchises at $20 million each to investors including Comcast and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft for the inaugural season that started in January. The Los Angeles Gladiators, owned by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke and his son Josh, are in first place. Six teams will qualify for the playoffs.